Process for aging alcoholic liquids.



PROCESS FOR AGING ALCOHOLIC LIQUIDS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN VoN GLAHN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the borough of Brooklyn, city of New York, in the countyof Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes for Aging Alcoholic Liquids, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to the aging of alcoholic liquids and refersparticularly to a method by which whisky, wines, liquors, cordials andsimilar liquids may be aged quickly, thoroughly and economically.

During the distillation and production of alcoholic beverages a numberof injurious and objectionable compounds are formed, the elimination ofwhich is necessary in order that the beverage may be of such acomposition as to appeal to the taste of the consumer and to allow ofits consumption without undue injurious efiects.

The compounds thus formed comprise a cat number of products, among thoseormed in the largest quantities and possessing the most objectionablefeatures being the higher alcohols known under the name of fusel oils.

The necessity of eliminating these fusel oils has long been known 'andnumerous suggestions have been made for removing them or transformingthem into less objectionable and more advanta eous compounds.

Their removal y distillation has been found to be impractical and themethod usually adopted is to allow the liquid, in which they arecontained, to stand for a very considerable length of time, usually fromfour to six years, in a temperature not exceeding 115 F. During thisperiod the liquid is aged and the fusel oils are gradually changed intoetheric compounds free from the deleterious effects of the oils andpossessing peculiar tastes and odors which a give to the finishedproduct its characteristics.

This process has many commercially objectionable features. It requiresthe production and retention of enormous stocks with the incidentexpense of invested capital in goods and storage charges, and theuncertainty of the rapidity of the reactions renders it impossible todefinitely judge the amount that may be obtained in the desiredcondition at any particular time.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1a, 1918.

Application filed October 9, 1914. Serial No. 865,798.

It is evident that a method of aging that will eliminate the retainingof the products for so long a time and that will produce a conversion ofthe fusel oils uniformly and thoroughly will be of the greatest value.Numerous methods for accomplishing this have been suggested but none ofthem has met with general adoption, as for various reasons they havebeen found to lack the necessary requisites of commercial application.

My invention for aging beverages of this character overcomes the presentknown difliculties and allows of their complete and proper aging withina short time and under conditions that permit of its commercial use.

Among the advantages of my invention are the short length of time ruired for its successful use, two or three w elzs, obviation ofexpensive apparatus, ordinary vats being the only necessary containers,the exceedingly low cost of the materials used which can be re-usedpractically continually, and

the completeness of the conversion of the objectionable bodies intodesirable ones.

My invention comprises broadly the treatment of the alcoholic beveragewith a mixture of carbon and cellulose in the presence of an agedalcoholic liquid at practically the ordinary temperature and for a shortperiod of time.

I have found that if whisky, or other 3100- holic beverages, containingfusel oil and other objectionable distillate bodies, be al lowed toremain in contact with a considerable amount of carbon and cellulose inthe presence of an aged alcoholic liquid at a temperature not exceeding115 F. for two or three weeks, the fusel oil and other indi- I use thewords aged liquids and aged whisky in their ordinary commercial senseand refer to alcoholic liquids and whisky in which the fusel oils andsimilar products formed in the process of manufacture have beenconverted into their etheric or similar compounds.

The following is one method of employing my method in the aging of analcoholic beverage: Two parts loy volume of oak sawdust are thoroughlymixed with 8 parts by volume of finely divided oalr charcoal, 100 partsby volume of unaged or raw whisky are poured upon parts by volume of theabove mixture in the presence of aged whisky and the ingredients allowedto thus remain in contact with each other until all of the fusel oilshave been converted. The length of time necessary for this aging process varies with the temperature of the mixture and the character of theraw whisky, but 1 have found that the process is generally accomplishedin two weeks at a temperature of 110 13. When the operation iscompleted, the aged whisky is drawn on from the insoluble ingredients hydecantation or otherwise and a new quantity of raw whisky added to thisremaining mixture of sawdust and charcoal and treated in the same mannerl have tound that the same amount oi: charcoal and sawdust may he usedrepeatedly without any evident loss in their aging powers.

The higher the temperature the more rapid is the reaction, but it isadvisable that it shouldv not he allowed to exceed 115 39.

An increased quantity oi the carbon and cellulose also accelerates thereaction and shortens the period of time necessary for the completecarrying out or" my process.

t will thus he seen that loy my process whisky may be aged extremelyeconomically as the time of treatment is short, no special .mcw l aioooww expensive machinery is necessary, and the material employed iscapable of continual I use.

i do not limit myself to the described or mentioned beverages ormaterials, nor to the temperatures, times or quantities, all of whichmay he varied without going heyond the scope of my invention asdescribed and claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A process for rapidly aging alcoholic liquids containing fusel oilswhich comprises impregnating finely divided wood with an aged alcoholicliquid and allowing the unaged alcoholic liquid to remain in intimatecontact with the impregnated wood, and finely divided charcoal.

2. A process for rapidly agino alcoholic liquids containing fusel oils,which comprises allowing the alcoholic liquid to remain in contact for aprotracted period with a mixture of finely divided oak Wood and charcoalin the presence of aged liquid.

3. A process for rapidly aging raw whisky, which comprises allowin theraw whisky to remain in contact for a protracted period with a mimure ofwood containing aged whislry and charcoal.

A process for rapidly aging raw whisky, which comprises allowing the rawwhisky to remain in contact for a protracted period with a mixture offinely divided oak wood and charcoal in the presence of. aged whisky.

Signed at New York city in the county it New York and State of New York,this rd day of Uctoher 191%.

JOHN VG N GLAl-lll. ffitnesses:

Eow. RANDOLPH amen, J r.

Poor

